Music Trade Review

THE
(Mic
With which is incorporated THE MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL.
VOL. III.
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 5TH, 1S80.
THE MAMMOUTH OPERA FESTIVAL.
FTER Mr. Thomas returned from Europe, rumor spread that he had
been snubbed by Richard Wagner ; this rumor was contradicted on the
A
plainest of all grounds, viz., that Thomas never had been near Wagner
No. 7
gross receipts can amount to; and we do not think it is intended to make the
festival a losing speculation. Moreover, it would take several months to
build the stage we speak of; and as the music hall will be in use this winter,
the stage arrangements can only be of a temporary nature. To perform on
this temporary stage, Boito's and Wagner's works, and call it a festival, is an
idea which we may admire, but whose feasability we cannot share. Of
course Mr. Nichols, the projector, will say now that he understands these
things better, that they may have these things very elaborately in Paris or
Vienna, but that they have their own views about them in Cincinnati.
Therein he is right; these views may be sanctioned in Cincinnati, and we
have the heartiest wish that Mr. Nichols may be crowned at the end of the
operatic festival with a laurel wreath in acknowledgment of his merits and
efforts on behalf of creating musical excitement in Porkopolis ; but, never-
theless, we may be permitted to call the whole scheme a huge humbug, per-
petrated on the community of Cincinnati under the shelter of an artistic
cloak.
during his sojourn in the old world. Then another argument was given,
that Wagner was vexed because Thomas had performed last winter, scenes
from the " Trilogy " without the permission of the author. We do not know
how much truth there is in all these contradictory reports, and have no wish to
fathom them ; biit we should think that if Richard Wagner could have list-
ened to the performances of " Siegfried" and the " Gotterdammerung," as
performed under the directions of Thomas and Dr. Damrosch, he would have
felt justly angry, and would with his irate temperament have shown his
anger, as soon as he saw either. To transport selections from the "Trilogy"
into concert halls may be sanctioned under certain circumstances ; we have
smaller works, like " Ride of the Valkyries," or, "Waldweben," or "Pro-
cession of the Gods," or the "Funeral March," which always will prove of
great interest. To give an entire act or the greater part of an act of the
"C'EST LE SON, QUI FAIT LA MUSIHUE!"
gigantic work in a concert hall must damage the reputation of the composer A STORY is told of a father whose son was studying at one of the German
in the eyes of those not thoroughly familar with the peculiarities of the _t\_ universities, that is, apparently studying, but actually spending his time
composer, and must appear a farce. And indeed it was a farce, in spite of all in beer-houses and fencing rooms. One morning the old gentleman, who was
what enthusiasts and fanatics may say in favor of these performances.
blind, received a telegram from his son, just when a visitor was at his room.
We do not wish to say that both these valuable and excellent conductors He asked him to read the telegram. The gentleman had a rough, deep bass
have not done their duty ; on the contrary, their share in the work is voice, and he read aloud to the anxious sire : "Father, send me money ! "
highly commendable; we only say, that in spite of the magnificent orchestral The parent was angry at the tone of the telegram, and refused point blank
work the whole thing appeared a farce, executed by one Italian artist, and a to do anything for his scapegrace son.
host of inferior singers, in several different languages, which nobody could
Some hours later, having grown calmer, he thought that his offspring
understand without the help of the libretto. Even with the best singers in ight need the money very badly. He wanted to hear the message once
the world the performances would have been a farce, for Wagner's works are more, and called in his daughter, a beautiful girl of 16.
written for the stage, and belong on the stage. His descriptive powers are
"My dear, said the father, William pent me a telegram this morning ;
great, but they loose entirely their effect if the ear alone catches the musical ill you please read it to me ? " The young girl, in sweet, bewitching tones
phrases, and the eye remains inactive. Richard Wagner is not only the sad : "Father, send me money."
greatest composer of the present day, but one of the greatest stage-managers
The governor smiled, was pleased with the politeness of his son, and for-
that has ever existed. He knows exactly what he wants, and in spite of hia arded the money by next mail.
attacks on Meyerbeer we find in him the same amount of rqffinenent, only
The French have a saying : " C'est le son, qui fait la musique," and they
to his own purposes.
re perfectly right. The tenor Ravelli scored a great success in London ; here
only pleased, nothing more. In England, sometimes, they have queer
That we cannot have the "Trilogy" performed on the American stage, at
least in the manner it should be given, is to be regretted; but to produce lotions, and they like to talk of revelations. Two years ago M. Candidus as
instead these farcical selections, which show the great performer and his Lohengrin, was a revelation, and a year later Mr. Schott, a German tenor,
deeds in an unsatisfactory form, is still more to be regretted, and we hope roved another revelation.
that we shall be spared another of these melodramatic expectorations this
Mr. Schott, as we know him—and Dr. Hans von Bulow can be called as a
season.
itness, sings occasionally out of tune ; and as they have had in London old
A certain class of musical caterers in this country have an idea that it is Susini and Mme. Sinico, even singing out of tune cannot be considered a
laudable to do unnatural things, which should be avoided in the interest of evelation there. But then as Mr. Schott's skillful horsemanship was some-
Art. Vanity is their ruling spirit; but it is much worse when unmusical peo- thing unusual for the London stage, the idea of the revelation comes nearer
ple meddle with matters they do not understand, as the result is always the mr understanding. The English are a sporting nation, and the horse in the
hird act of " Rienzi " helped to establish the success of the performance and
production of monstrosities.
The great Nichols in Cincinnati, since they kicked him out of the com- he rider.
We do not wish to rob the English of their revelations. We have some
mittee of the Musical Festival Association, (it is true, at his own request,
for he knew they would do it anyhow) has labored under the impression if the singers here who have proved a revelation in England, and when they
that he must do a great deed in order to defeat his enemies, and keep up his ame here, the taste of the English proved a revelation to us. Chacim a son
reputation among his townsmen. He must have worked very hard to rind /out; and it would be unfair to find fault with their taste.
the right thing, and suddenly it struck him that a mammoth operatic festi-
But revenons a uos moutons. Signor Ravelli created a certain excitement
val would be the very thing, which would make his name immortal, and n London, and we are sure that he would have done so here under the same
crush his adversaries. The College of Music, for the time being, is oi ircumstances. Fancelli sick, Campanini on the ocean, and Maas refusing to
secondary consideration. The mammoth festival takes the foremost place. sing without a rehearsal. Ravelli, utterly unknown, happened to be in
We should not wonder if we heard that old Max Maretzek gave the first hint, London, and sang Edgardo to the great satisfaction of the critics and the
and Nichols immediately took the bait, and came to New York to confer with audience. Tenors are so very rare that an unknown artist, who does his
Col. J. H. Mapleson. The English impresario most probably made terms work honestly, is a surprise. Ravelli made a success because nobody
to his advantage, for, as this season he is not guided and backed by Haverly expected anything from him, and he proved a reliable singer. We venture
through the country, he is very glad to rind local assistance in the different cities. ,o say that this tenor appeared in London under the most advantageous cir-
Cincinnati always has been a bad place for Italian opera, and Mapleson had iumstances. Had he been advertised for months, he probably would have
that experience twice; so a handsome offer from the great Nichols of college shared the fate of so many others, who sing yesterday and are forgotten to-
fame was very welcome.
day. What roused the expectations here were the reports from London,
The prospectus of the operatic festival, to be held in February next in which found their way into the columns of American newspapers. Ravelli
Cincinnati, tells us that " Metistofele," "Lohengrin," " Flauto Magico," was described as a great tenor; but such reports, even if they helped the
" Moses in Egypt," and " Fidelio," will be performed by the entire company subscription, could not be of advantage to the tenor. Whoever called Sig-
of Mapleson, an orchestra of 100 musicians, the chorus strengthened by 300 nor Ravelli a great tenor, committed a grave mistake. The artist sings in
voices of the festival chorus, all under the direction of Arditi, Otto Singer decent style, does not exaggerate, is a bad actor, and is a very good doublure
aud Maretzek. The prospectus is pompous, as these proclamations of Mr. for the first tenor, whoever that person may be.
Nichols generally are, and reads very nicely. But now, if we ask : "Where
We remember that some years ago Nilsson was announced as Lucia, but
is this festival going to take place?" we have the answer : "In the Music she fell sick, and Ostava Torriani, the same Torriani who is now Avith Max
Hall, which will be temporarily fitted up with scenery and a proscenium Strakosch, took the part at a moment's notice. The public at first felt dis-
As soon as we heard of the place in view for an operatic festival, we saw that appointed, because Torriani was unknown here, but in the course of the
the whole affair apart from its musical excellence, would be a huge humbug, evening this girl created a perfect furore, because she gave so much more
which it is harder to imagine more genuine and complete.
than anybody expected from her. Mile. Torriani's professional career ex-
Reason No. 1.—A concert-hall never will make a good opera-house, tends over a period of ten years, and we do not believe that she has ever
except the walls are torn down, and the existence of the concert-hall en- during all these years achieved the same success as on the evening when she
tirely destroyed, before the opera-house is built. Of course this cannot replaced Nilsson at our Academy of Music. Success cannot be defined ; it
be done in this special case, for the music hall will be of more use to Cin depends greatly on the caprice of the public, and not less upon the manner
in which our artist is introduced to this capricious public. Overrated artists,
cinnatti, than a monster opera-house.
Reason No. 2.—A stage on which " Lohengrin," or " Mefistofele" are t< who fall short of expectations, will disappoint, and turn out a comparative
be given in a style worthy of the name of a festival, must be a stage with all failure ; on the other hand, good artists, who are considered nobodies by the
modern improvements; and any stage carpenter in Munich, Vienna or Paris management, may acquire reputation and fame. The public is the highest
will make Mr. Nichols a calculation, which would astonish him. A stage ne tribunal, and a manager should never try to deceive it. " C'est le son, qui fait
pessary for the operas mentioned in the prospectus, would cost more than th< la musique.